Car-door-supporting device.



PATENTED AUGJZZ, 1905.

L. A. THORSON.

CAR DOOR SUPPORTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1905.

n fiazlnventor,

Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed May 10, 1905. Serial No. 259,736.

To all whmn it vita/y concern:

Be it known that I, LUDWIG A. Tlnonson, a citizen of the United States, residing at Melvin, in the county of Polk and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Car- Door-Supporting Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to inside verticallyswinging car-doors, and has for its object to provide novel means for supporting a door in its elevated position, said means being arranged for control from the floor of the car for engaging and releasing the door in a simple and expeditious manner.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described,shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional View taken through the roof of a car, at one of the side doorways thereof, showing an inside door swung upwardly and supported by the device of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional 'view of the present door-supporting device. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

The present device has the general form of a hook and includes an upright shank or body 1, upon the lower end of which is an upturned hill 2, the upper portion of the body being longitudinally bifurcated, so as to straddle one of the roof-beams 3 of a freight-car. Each of the side members 4:, which is produced by the bifurcation, is laterally enlarged and in the form of a segment to overhang the bill of the hook at a suitable distance thereabove, there being a pivotal support 5 passed through the upper end of the hook and the adjacent beam 3 to swing the hook from the top of the car. Within the forked or bifurcated portion of the hook and in vertical alinement with the bill 2 there is a latch or detent 6, pivotally hung from a cross bar or pin 7, extending through the opposite sides 4: of the bifurcated part of the hook. A controlling arm or lever 8 extends rearwardly from the latch or detent 6 and is provided in its free end with a terminal eye 9, lying at the back of the hook. At a suitable distance above the arm or lever 8 there is a cross-bar 10, extending across the back of the bifurcation and designed to limit the upward movement of said lever or arm.

For controlling the latch or detent from the floor of the car there is a cord or cable 11, which depends from the guide 12, carried by the beam 3, said cable running through the guide and connected to the terminal eye 9 of the arm or lever 8, whereby the lever and the latch or detent may be swung from their fullline positions to their dotted-line positions by drawing down upon the cable, as best shown in Fig. 2. Below the guide 12 a knot 13 is formed in the cable to form a stop for engagement with the guide to prevent the cable from being withdrawn entirely through the guide.

The present device is capable of being used in connection with any character of verticalswinging door, the form of door 14 shown in the drawings having a loop 15, one adjacent each edge thereof and mounted to slide upon an upright guide 16, the latter being provided upon its upper end with a hanger 17, depend ing from the bracket 18, the hanger being provided with one or more seats 19 for engagement by the slide 15 in the elevated position of the door. WVhen the door is run up to its limit, its lower free end is swung upwardly and rearwardly and rested upon the hill 2 of the hook, the latch 6 having been withdrawn to the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 2 by manipulation of the cable 11 to permit of the door resting upon the bill of the hook, after which'the cable is released and the latch gravitates to its full-line position across the top of the door, so as to prevent the latter from being jarred upwardly and disengaged from the hook. It is preferred to provide the door with a seat or socket 20, located in what is normally its outer face and arranged to receive the bill of the hook,where by the door is held against edgewise movements. In swinging the door upwardly it will be understood that its free end engages and wipes past the lower end of the hook, the latter being pivotally swung from the support 5 expressly for this purpose, and when the free edge of the door clears the top of the bill of the hook the latter gravitates to its original position, so as to bring the bill of the hook beneath the door and into the seat or socket 520. To release the door, the cord or cable 11 is drawn downwardly, so as to swing the latch rearwardly beyond the free edge of the door, and when the arm or lever 8 engages the crossbar 10 further movement of the cable 11 will swing the entire hook upon its pivotal support 5, so as to disengage the bill 2 from beneath the door, whereupon the latter will immediately drop down by gravity or may be more slowly let down by hand, as may be desired.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the hook is capable of being controlled from the floor entirely by means of the controlling cord or cable 11, it being necessary merely to elevate the door and swing the same upwardly into engagement with the hook, the latch 6 being controlled by the cable 11 in a very simple and expeditious manner. It is of course apparent that the arm or lever 8 may be controlled directly by hand independently of the cable 11, and it is for this reason that the free end 9 of the lever is projected externally of the body of the hook to enable the convenient grasping of the lever by hand.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A door-supporting device comprising a pivotally-suspended hook having an upturned fixed bill, a latch pivotally hung from the top of the hook and working across the top of the bill, and controlling means connected to the loatfh to swing the same inwardly clear of the 2. A door-supporting device comprising an overhead pivotally-supported hook having a fixed upturned bill, a latch pivotally hung from the top of the hook and Working across the top of the bill, an overhead guide, and a conthe 'bill, an arm connected to the latch and extending rearwardly therefrom, a stop carried by the hook in the path of the arm an overhead guide, and a cord connected to the arm and running through and depending from the guide.

4:. A door-support comprising a pivotallysuspended hook having an upturned bill, a swinging latch mounted upon the hook in cooperative relation with the bill, controlling means connected to the latch, and means to limit the pivotal movement of the latch upon the hook and thereby cause a swinging movement of the hook by further manipulation of the controlling means.

5. A door-supporting device comprising a pivotally-suspended hook having an upturned bill and provided with an opening extending from front to rear thereof above the bill, a pivotal latch hung in the opening and working across the top of the bill, an arm connected to the latch and projecting in rear of the hook, a cross-bar extending across the opening to limit the movement of the arm, a guide, and I a controlling-cable connected to the arm and working through and depending from the guide.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto alfixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LUDWVlG A. THORSON. l/Vitnesses:

B. L. CRowE, WVM. AssuLIN. 

